Editor’s Note: Ali Breland, the author of the resolution discussed in this editorial, was an opinion columnist for The Daily Texan during the spring semester. He wrote this column supporting the UT System’s divestment from companies in Sudan.

Student Government introduced a resolution Tuesday calling for the UT System to divest from companies that support genocide. The University of Texas Investment Company, known as UTIMCO, manages $25 billion in endowments for both the University of Texas and Texas A&M University, investing more than $12 million in companies that fund genocide in Sudan. Student Government is calling for the System “to create or agree upon a blacklist of companies that UTIMCO cannot invest in that is more thorough and comprehensive than the Texas Comptroller’s blacklist.”

In 2004, the University of California System suggested divestment “when the United States government declares that a foreign regime is committing acts of genocide,” and in 2004, the U.S. declared this about Sudan. The UC System ended up agreeing upon a slightly different policy, but if the UT System decides not to create a thorough blacklist of companies it won’t invest in, it should at least divest from companies that work with foreign regimes the U.S. has declared are facilitating genocide.

By keeping its investments in these companies, the University of Texas System is knowingly supporting genocide. Allowing our University to indirectly take part in this is completely unacceptable, and we agree with Student Government in urging the System to divest from these companies.